The Doctor's Tales
by Caribbean1989
Summary: 'Somehow he was always the one tending to his injured fellow-Avengers. He wasn't as good as the medics from S.H.I.E.L.D., but Bruce knew enough to successfully aid with almost any wound'. These are the stories of Dr. Bruce Banner and the times things did not go according to plan for the Avengers. Collection of one-shots and short stories. Please R&R.
1. Chapter 1

Somehow he was always the one tending to his injured fellow-Avengers. He wasn't as good as the medics from S.H.I.E.L.D., but Bruce knew enough to successfully aid with almost any wound. Mostly he would function as a first-aid doctor until the S.H.I.E.L.D. medics took over. But not always. Sometimes he was the appointed doctor, while the other medics attended to the more seriously injured.  
Bruce did not mind, he actually kind of liked it. It made him feel of some use in the team, apart form smashing and breaking everything as 'the other guy'.

So these are the stories of Dr. Bruce Banner and the times things did not go according to plan for the Avengers. 

**Chapter 1**  
Bruce was left to guard the jet, while the others were stealing some top-secret files from a remotely located factory. Apparently they did not need a huge, green, living wrecking ball for that….

Through his earpiece Bruce was listening to the other Avengers communicate during their mission.  
"Banner!" Tony's voice suddenly sounded clear in his ear. Bruce was slightly startled by being addressed.  
"Stark, what's wrong?" Bruce answered, hearing the urgency in Tony's voice.  
"Fire up the engines and get your kit ready, Steve's injured".  
Bruce felt his stomach drop. Something in Tony's voice made him realize that the injury was no small cut or scrape.  
"Consider it done" Bruce blurted back.  
He immediately set to work. Starting the engines was a job easy done and cost him only two minutes.  
Bruce jumped up from the pilot's chair as the engines roared to life and quickly pulled out a medical kit from one of the compartments, along with a few blankets.

He had only just finished when he heard sounds outside. "Bruce!" It was Clint, "Bruce, we got an injury!" Clint came running up the ramp that formed the entrance to the jet. "Tony's bringing Steve, he's injured".  
"Is it bad?" Bruce asked nervously.  
"Well… it doesn't look pretty" Clint answered.  
Bruce was just contemplating on whether he would ask for details, when Natasha came running up the ramp, followed closely by Thor and Tony. Steve hung limply over Tony's shoulder.  
"Jesus" Bruce breathed out. The back of Steve's uniform was soaked in blood, which, unfortunately, was all his own.  
"Lie him down over here". Bruce pointed to the blankets lying ready on the floor of the jet. "On his front, please". Tony complied without any of his usual snide comments and gently lay Steve down.

Clint and Natasha quickly took up the pilots' seats and hurriedly prepared for take-off. Tony and Thor took up two of the passengers' seats. Neither of them said a word as they stared at their stricken friend.

Bruce knelt down next to Steve's unconscious form. The Captain's breaths were coming in short, pained hitches. On his back ran four very deep lacerations, which stretched from his shoulder blades to the lower part of his back. To his left shoulder he had suffered a stab wound. Blood was oozing freely from his wounds, soaking his uniform and staining it crimson.

"Thor, I need your help" Bruce said, "we need to keep pressure on the wounds. The bleeding needs to stop, otherwise there will soon be no blood left in him".  
He handed Thor a thick stack of gauze and pointed to the stab wound on Steve's left shoulder. "Keep pressure on that".  
Thor obliged without protest. He gently covered the wound with the gauze, before placing a large hand over it and pressing down firmly.  
Bruce watched Thor for a few seconds and then pressed his own hands down on the lacerations for as much as he could cover.

This fresh wave of pain from all his wounds pulled Steve back to consciousness a little. He groaned painfully and his face showed an agonized grimace.  
"Don't worry, Cap, it's us" Bruce tried to comfort. Another groan was the only answer he was getting for now.

The jet was airborne by now and heading back in the direction of the S.H.I.E.L.D. office.  
"What's the shortest route you have?" Bruce called over to Clint. The journey to their target had cost them about 80 minutes and that was longer than Steve could most likely go without further medical attention.  
"60 minutes, tops" Clint answered wearily.  
"Make it shorter" Thor suddenly said in his deep voice. Even the god understood the severity of the situation.  
"We'll do whatever we can…" Clint answered with the slightest hint of fear sounding through in his voice. 

* * *

Bruce alertly watched Steve for any signs that he might be crashing or any other changes in his condition. The Captain's face was extremely pale and sweat covered his forehead. There was no improvement to his breathing, still those pained hitches.

Thor and Bruce sat with Steve for what felt like hours. In reality it wasn't even ten minutes.  
In those ten minutes Steve had further regained consciousness. He had started trembling as he now became aware of the pain from his wounds.  
Bruce realized it would probably not be long before Steve would wake up completely, which was not something he wished for the super soldier. Being awake meant he would be aware of all the pain and misery that had befallen him.  
Steve groaned again and Bruce knew his fear had come true.  
Steve's eyes fluttered open, but he was not able to focus his gaze on something. He whimpered painfully and tried to manoeuvre out from under the pressure Bruce and Thor still kept on his wounds.  
"It's okay, buddy. Just keep still, we're trying to help you" Bruce tried to calm the soldier down.  
"…B-Bruce?" Steve managed to croak out.  
"Yeah, it's me" Bruce simply answered, not able to think of anything else to say.

Steve was quiet for a long time after that, and Bruce actually believed him to have passed out again.  
Until suddenly Steve screamed out in pain. Clint and Natasha momentarily took their eyes off the horizon to look around and Tony temporarily closed his eyes in misery.  
"I-it… it hurts… so bad" Steve groaned through gritted teeth. Bruce now realized that all the while Steve had been silent, he had been trying to hold back that scream.  
"Try to relax, Steve, don't get so worked up. It will only make it worse". Bruce knew it was only empty words, but there was not much else he could do for now. The jet was equipped with a standard medical kit, which did not include morphine or any other strong painkillers.

"Thor" Bruce addressed the blonde god, who looked up at him. Bruce motioned to him to release the pressure on Steve's shoulder wound. He hoped that releasing the pressure from the wounds made it all a little more bearable for Steve.  
Thor complied immediately and Bruce followed shortly after by taking his hands off the lacerations. To his dismay he saw that the wounds were still bleeding quite freely.  
"Is that a little better, Cap?" Bruce asked Steve.  
"A bit" Steve breathed out. Bruce patted Steve's forearm, "just hold on a bit longer".

Thor had sat down next to Tony in one of the passengers' seats and stared absentmindedly at Steve's blood on his hands.  
"Don't worry about him" Tony tried to cheer up the god, "senior over there has managed to survive on ice for 70 years, so a stab wound won't bring him down". Tony spoke with confidence, but was not quite sure whether he believed his own words. Thor looked up at Tony. "I do not like seeing him in such agony" he said.  
"Same here" Tony agreed.

"Five minutes till we land" Clint announced over his shoulder to the others.  
"Tell them to have a medical team standing by" Bruce said.  
"Already done" Clint answered.

"You hear that, Cap? Five more minutes" Bruce said to Steve, "five more minutes and then we'll be able to get you some morphine".  
"Sounds like Candyland" Steve nearly whispered and something that should have been a smile crossed his face.  
Steve closed his eyes, but Bruce knew he was neither sleeping nor unconscious. His muscles were still too tensed up for either. 

* * *

The jet touched down on the short runway in front of one of the more remotely located S.H.I.E.L.D. offices. The harsh movements of the jet as the wheels came in contact with the asphalt made Steve grind his teeth and whimper loudly in pain.  
"You're okay, Cap, you did great" Bruce comforted, "just a few more minutes, then we'll get you the help you need". Steve did not say anything, but his face still spoke of extreme agony.

As soon as the plane came to a stand-still, Thor leapt up from his seat. Before anyone else could do something, he lifted Steve off the floor and hung him over his shoulder.  
"Careful!" Bruce warned as he heard Steve utter sounds of pain again. But it was like talking to a brick wall. Thor practically ran down the ramp onto the runway and quickly headed in the direction of the S.H.I.E.L.D. building. He was closely followed by the other Avengers.

The medical team had indeed been on standby. They came running out of the building when Thor neared it. Thor carefully lay Steve down on the gurney the medics had brought.  
The doctors immediately came into action. They took Steve's pulse, checked his breathing and had a first glance at his wounds.  
They quickly wheeled him inside. Thor, Tony, Clint, Natasha and Bruce followed them closely, until the medics disappeared into a part of the medical wing where the Avengers were not allowed to go. The heroes stared blankly at the doors swinging closed, while the doctors did what they had to for Steve… 

* * *

The five Avengers sat around an oval table in some sort of conference room. They were accompanied by Fury and Agents Hill and Coulson. The silence in the room was only broken by the ticking of a clock and occasionally by someone taking a sip from their coffee.  
It had been over three hours since the medical team had taken Steve away and the waiting for news had gotten close to unbearable by now.

"Is one of you ever going to tell me what happened?" Fury suddenly spoke.  
"He got stabbed" Natasha said matter-of-factly. Fury sighed in agitation and shot Natasha a disapproving look.  
"We had made it to the file-room" Natasha explained further, "we believed we had eliminated all the guards and assassins, but apparently we were wrong. Tony was busy breaking into the safe, when we were attacked by ten more assassins. I don't know how they did it, but they managed to catch Steve unaware. They handled their knives so fast… Steve was on the ground before we even realized what was going on…". Natasha's voice trailed off and she did not continue. None of the others continued the story for her and Fury did not press the matter, he could guess what had happened next.

Bruce sat with his face buried in his hands, elbows resting on the table. He had been listening to Natasha's story while images of Steve in agony tormented his mind.  
"No!" he growled out, willing the images away and abruptly standing up from his chair. He started pacing up and down the room.  
Fury's gaze followed Bruce's every movement and Coulson's hand rested on the gun on his belt. Bruce knew they feared that he would transform into the other guy.

They were interrupted by a soft knock on the door.  
"Come in" Fury called.  
Everyone immediately burst out into questions when the head of the Medical Department walked in. Fury only had to raise a hand to get the room silent again. "Tell us of Mr. Roger's condition, doctor" he said.  
"He is stable, sir, and is likely make a full recovery" the doctor said. A sigh of immense relief sounded from everyone.  
"He is resting now and will have to stay in the medical ward for at least a few days" the doctor continued.  
"Can we see him?" Natasha asked.  
"Yes" the doctor answered, "but only one person at a time and at set hours".  
"Can we see him now?" Clint interrupted the doctor impatiently.  
"Yes, but like I said: only one person at a time".

Fury rose to his feet. "Okay. Dr. Banner, please follow the good doctor and have a chat with Mr. Rogers". Bruce looked a bit bewildered, but walked out with the doctor without any comment.  
"Why him?!" Natasha turned on Fury after Bruce and the doctor had left the room.  
"Because if it wasn't for him, Steve might not have made it at all" Tony answered before anyone else could say a word. 

* * *

Bruce had followed the doctor halfway through the medical ward, when he was pointed to a door. "He's in there".

Bruce quietly pushed the door open and entered.  
The room was dimly lit. There was one hospital bed, a small table and a few chairs.  
Steve lay on his side in the bed. His upper body was bare and his back was almost completely covered with gauze and bandages. A heart monitor was beeping in the rhythm of Steve's heartbeat. Nice and steady, Bruce noted.

Bruce actually thought Steve was asleep, until the super soldier shifted his head slightly to look at him.  
"Dr. Banner" he croaked out. "Hi" Bruce said as he seated himself in a chair next to Steve's bed.  
"It's probably dumb to ask you how you're feeling" he said.  
Steve produced something that resembled a laugh. "Better now the pain's gone" he breathed out.  
"I'm sorry we did not have any morphine on board the jet" Bruce said, "I know you were in great pain".  
"Hm… doesn't matter… you did what you could… without your help I would have bled to death". Steve sounded exhausted and slightly slurred his words.

Bruce and the super soldier stared at each other for a few seconds.  
"Go to sleep" Bruce said, "you need it". Bruce stood up from the chair and made to leave.  
"Thank you" Steve said before Bruce could exit the room, "thank you for helping me. For saving my life".  
For a few moments, Bruce was left speechless. People usually weren't this grateful towards his actions. "No problem" he finally said, "it's what I am here for".  
And with those last words he left, knowing that he had saved a life today. 

* * *

**Thanks for reading! All reviews are appreciated :-)  
****Like I wrote in the summary: this is going to be a collection of one-shots and short stories. If anyone wants to submit ideas for future chapters, please do not hesitate to send me a message or leave the idea in the comments.  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**First of all, I would like to thank everyone who has left a review and/or submitted ideas for future chapters. I really appreciate both! :-)  
****So, now on with the next chapter. Enjoy reading and still, all reviews and story-ideas are very welcome!**

* * *

The battle was raging furiously. All around them were explosions and rubble flying through the air.  
The army from yet another planet had invaded Washington D.C. and was doing their very best to destroy every last building in it.

The Avengers had already fought long and hard, but finally it seemed like they were winning the battle.  
Natasha was shooting bullets in rapid succession, Steve was hitting everything in range with his shield, Hulk was smashing everything that moved, Thor was hammering around, Tony was flying and shooting at every enemy, and Clint was doing… nothing.

"Yo, bowman! Help us out here" Tony yelled into their earpieces. No reaction whatsoever came from the archer.  
"Clint?" Natasha's voice sounded worried, "Clint, answer me!" Still no reaction followed.

Natasha spun round in the direction of the building on which Clint had positioned himself. She had been able to see him clearly before, but now there was no sigh of the archer.  
"Something's wrong" Natasha said, now sounding truly scared.

She started running as fast as she could. Panic coursed through her veins like crazy. Her mind was only occupied by one thing: Clint.  
She ran into the building and up the stairs in record time. Finally she threw open the door that led to the roof and immediately stopped dead in her tracks.  
The entire roof was covered with rubble. Everywhere were pieces of wood, glass and stone. Apparently the building had been hit by one of the explosions.  
"Clint?!" panic was evident in Natasha's voice, "Clint, answer me!" When no reaction came, she started searching. She lifted up every piece of rubble she came across in search for their archer.  
Suddenly Natasha spotted Clint's bow. She knew he never wandered far from it, so she must be getting close.  
"Clint!" she yelled out. There, trapped under quite a large and heavy piece of collapsed stone wall, lay Clint. The rubble lay across his chest and stomach, pinning him to the ground. He was unconscious and a thin line of blood had leaked from the corner of his mouth.

"Oh God…" Natasha ran over to him and dropped to her knees beside him. Her first instinct was to try and get the rubble off , but it proved too large and too heavy for her. She couldn't get it to move even in the slightest.  
"Guys, I need help" Natasha yelled into her earpiece, "Clint's injured".  
"On my way" came Steve's immediate reply.

Natasha knew she could not do much else other than wait for Steve to get to her. There was no way she was going to move this heavy piece of rubble on her own.  
"Clint" her voice sounded awfully choked, "come one, wake up, look at me". She cupped his face in her hands.  
A soft groan escaped the archer and his eyes rolled under their lids.  
"…tasha…" he muttered while slowly opening his eyes a crack.  
"I'm here" she answered, tears now spilling from her eyes.  
"What's… I… it hurts" Clint managed to choke out. He was fighting to stay conscious and he was very close to hyperventilating as well.  
"Calm down, help is on the way". Natasha stroked Clint's hair in attempt to get him to calm down.

With a loud crash the door to the roof flew open and Steve ran out.  
"Over here!" Natasha yelled, signalling the captain.  
"What happened?" Steve was a bit out of breath.  
"I don't know exactly" Natasha answered, "but he is trapped under this rubble and we need to get it off him". Steve nodded wordlessly and immediately took up a good position to lift the rubble off Clint.

Together Steve and Natasha managed to move the rubble. By that time Clint had lost consciousness again. Natasha was cradling his head in her lap, while Steve quickly assessed the damage.

"Stark?" Steve said into his earpiece, "get Dr. Banner over here quickly".  
"He's not quite himself at the moment" came Tony's voice.  
"Well, then get him to change back!" Steve realized he was snappy, but the situation was urgent and didn't call for niceties.

* * *

To Steve and Natasha the wait for Bruce felt like a week, but in fact it was only 15 minutes.  
They did not know how Tony had managed to change Bruce back into himself and they did not ask. They were just grateful that he had done it.

There was no change in Clint's condition. He was still unconscious and breathing heavily and fast.  
Bruce quickly examined the archer. Clint's pulse was rapid, too rapid. His upper body was littered with cuts and on his left flank a rapidly growing bruise formed. Natasha swallowed hard when she saw it.  
"Is that…" she began.  
"Looks like internal bleeding" Bruce said gravely, deciding it would be best to be honest, "we need the medics here a.s.a.p.". Steve nodded curtly and walked a little away to make the call.

"What can we do?" Natasha asked. The shakiness of her own voice scared her. Bruce did not say anything, but simply stared at her gravely.  
"There's nothing we can do now?!" Tears filled Natasha's eyes again.  
"He needs surgery, which I cannot do… Just try to get him conscious and… keep him breathing" Bruce said. Steve walked back to them. "ETA 10 minutes" he said.

Natasha focussed on trying to get Clint conscious. She was still cradling his head in her lap.  
"Clint? Wake up. I need you to wake up". Natasha gently tapped his cheek. She needed to repeat this a couple of time before she got any response.  
Clint groaned softly and rolled his head slightly in Natasha's lap and finally opened his eyes a crack. A weak smile passed over Natasha's face as she saw him look at her. "Stay with me, baby. You're going to be alright".  
Clint blinked sluggishly for a few times. "I feel strange…" he whispered nearly inaudibly.  
"Don't worry, you're going to be fine" Natasha repeated.

Bruce sat quietly, keeping a watchful eye on Clint's pulse and breathing.  
He kept quiet and allowed Natasha and Clint their moment. Steve stood a little behind him, nervously observing the entire scene.

Suddenly Bruce felt Clint's pulse falter under his fingers and eventually disappear. "Shit…" he muttered under his breath.  
Natasha was most definitely panicking now. She had watched Clint suddenly drift back into unconsciousness and going completely limp. "No, no, no, this is not happening" she said frantically. Steve immediately rushed to her side and put his arm around her.  
"What's happening?" Steve asked. Even the super soldier was not able to hide his fear anymore.  
"Cardiac arrest" Bruce said quickly and immediately started CPR.

"Steve, take his wrist. Tell me as soon as you feel something" Bruce instructed, "Natasha, I need to you move out from under his head. He needs to lie flat on the floor".  
Both Steve and Natasha did as they were told, giving Bruce the space he needed for trying to save Clint's life.  
"Feel anything?" Bruce asked after about 30 seconds. He sounded out of breath. Steve wordlessly shook his head. He was not able to feel any sign of life in the archer's wrist.  
Bruce sighed miserably. "Come on, Clint, come back to us" he muttered to himself as he continued the CPR.

* * *

"I think I hear the medics" Steve said after a short period of silence. Natasha immediately sprinted towards the stairs on which the medics should be arriving.  
"Over here!" she called to someone out of Steve and Bruce's sight. No doubt the super soldier had been right in hearing the medics approach.  
Natasha came running back into their view, followed closely by three S.H.I.E.L.D. medics. They carried large bags with all kinds of medical equipment.  
The medics immediately recognized the urgency of the situation and instantly set to work.

"How long has he been in cardiac arrest?" one of the medics asked Bruce.  
"About a minute and a half" Bruce answered, never stopping the chest compressions.  
"OK, keep going, doctor" the medic answered, "we are preparing for defibrillation".

Bruce and the medical team were now the only ones still close to Clint. Steve and Natasha stood a little to the side to give everyone the space they needed. Steve had his arms wrapped around Natasha, who was crying freely now.

The medical team quickly applied an oxygen mask over Clint's mouth and nose. One medic tore open Clint's jacket and stuck the electrodes for the heart monitor on his chest. The third medic was preparing the pedals for the electrical shock.

Once properly connected the heart monitor indeed produces the eerie, flatlining tone.  
"Dr. Banner" one medic said, "when I tell you to, I need you to withdraw your hands from the patient". Bruce nodded once to indicate that he had understood.

"Ready" the medic holding the pedals said, "Dr. Banner…"  
Bruce withdrew his hands from Clint's chest and they were immediately replaced by the pedals. He stood up and walked away to stand by Steve and Natasha. For now he had done everything that he could. He just hoped it was enough…

"Charging, 300…" they could hear one of the medics say, followed shortly by "clear!"  
This was Natasha's cue to bury her face in Steve's broad chest. She did not need to see this happen to the person she loved.  
Clint's body jerked violently as the current ran through him. There was a short pause in which the medical team observed the heart monitor. Still that eerie flatlining tone.  
"Charging, 350… clear!"  
Again the current rocked Clint's body, but this time there was a change…. The heart monitor beeped a few times unevenly, before falling into an even rhythm of beeps.  
"He's back" a medic said. Steve, Bruce and Natasha all exclaimed in relief.

After that, everything happened very fast. Clint was being prepared to be taken away.  
"What's going to happen to him?" Natasha asked in a thick voice.  
"He has a suspected ruptured spleen, he needs surgery right away" a medic answered.  
Natasha felt fresh tears spill from her eyes as she watched Clint being taken away. Suddenly a warm, comforting hand was on her shoulder and she turned around to face Bruce. "Go with them, be with Clint. We'll finish up here".  
Natasha nodded weakly. She knew she would be no good in a fight at this moment anyway. She hesitated just a second before flinging her arms around Bruce. "Thank you" she whispered.

* * *

Natasha did not remember much between the moment she walked off that rooftop and the moment she woke up in a chair next to Clint's hospital bed.  
The only thing that was still clear in her mind was talking to a doctor. He had told her that Clint had sustained several fractured ribs, a sprained wrist and a ruptured spleen which had resulted in massive internal bleeding. But the operation had been successful, according to the doctor.  
Clint wasn't out of the woods yet, but this was good enough for Natasha. She knew the archer better than anyone else. He was a strong man, he would pull through.

So now Natasha woke up next to Clint's bed in the S.H.I.E.L.D. medical ward. She must have fallen into an exhausted sleep. Outside it was pitch black, night had definitely fallen.

Also around the bed, sitting in other chairs, were the other Avengers. All of them in varying stages of sleeping.  
Tony sat with his legs outstretched on a spare chair, sleeping with his chin resting on his chest. The arc reactor under his shirt shone a faint light.  
Steve had his chair in a corner and was resting his head against the wall. Even though he was sleeping now, he still had a tired and worried expression on his face.  
Bruce sat slumped in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest. He was stirring quite often, indicating he was only dozing and not really sleeping.  
Thor appeared to be the only one who was having a good night's rest. He sat with his head fallen backwards, mouth slightly open and snoring audibly.

Natasha watched her friends for a few moments, before shifting her attention to Clint. His head had fallen to the side, facing her and to her great relief he was looking at her.  
"Oh, thank God" she whispered and immediately inched closer to the archer.  
"I like watching you sleep" Clint said nearly inaudibly. Natasha chuckled at the remark.  
Her laugh woke up the not so much sleeping Bruce. "Oh, thank heaven, you're awake" he said. He cast a quick glance at the snoring God of Thunder, "he's thundering". Both Natasha and Clint laughed quietly, although Clint's laugh was quickly replaced by a wince as it angered his ribs and stitches.

"Do you remember what happened?" Bruce asked.  
"No" Clint breathed out, "I just remember waking up on… on the jet, and this doctor… telling me I was injured… I must have passed out again after that".  
"You were trapped under a piece of collapsed stone wall" Bruce explained, "you have sustained some fractured ribs, a sprained wrist and a ruptured spleen which caused internal bleeding. They operated on you for four hours to save your life".  
"Wow…" Clint said weakly. Natasha and Bruce remained silent. They both knew this was not the time to tell Clint about the fact that his heart had stopped on the rooftop. He would hear that detail later.

* * *

"You need to rest" Natasha said after a while, " sleep, Clint, I promise I'll be there when you wake up".  
"I hold you to it" Clint whispered back. He slowly closed his eyes and it was mere seconds before he had fallen asleep again.  
Natasha kept watching him sleep for a while. She had never admitted it, but she liked to watch him sleep too. She took in everything about him. His peaceful face, his bandaged wrist, his strong hands and arms, the rising and falling of his chest.  
Natasha smiled a little to herself. Clint was going to be fine, she was sure of that now. 

* * *

**Thanks again for reading.  
****Now for the fun part, my dearest readers: you get to decide who is going to be the "victim" in the next chapter! :-) There is a poll on my profile page, so please vote if you want to have a say about the next chapter!**


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